Bearing for sensitive instruments



Feb.kl7, 1942. H. MURTAGH ETAL BEARING FR SENSITIVE INSTRUMENTS 3 Sheets-SheetV l Filed Dec. 19, 1959 HIIIIINIII fum Ill 1| ||lllllllllllllllllllll 11111.121942. HMURTAGH ETAL 2,273,803

BEARING FOR SENSITIVE INSTRUMENTS M MSP Feb. 17, 1942. H. MURTAGH ET AL 2,273,893

BEARING FQNSENSITWE INSTRUMENTS Filed Dec. 19, 1959 3 sheineet s Fig. 4.

Patented Feb. 17, 1942 l Y I UNITED STATE .liam George Harding, Whitten, England, as-` signors to Sperry Gyroscope Company AIncorporated, Brooklyn, N. Y., a company of New York Applicationneeemter 19, 1939, semi No. 309,944

In Great Britain December 21,1938

' 1'0 Claims. (Cl. 248-358)` This invention relates to bearings for-sensi-V Vtive indicating instruments orV controlling devices, lsuch as gyroscopes.

The invention contemplates the use, as bearings, of steel blades or leaves arranged for transverse fiexure and rigidly `clamped at one end to the supported memberand at the other end .to the support. When applied to the support ofthe rotor case' of a gyroscope with freedom -to tilt about a horizontal axis in a vertical Cardan ring,

-each bearing may comprise a single steel blade extending between fixtures respectively on the rotor case and Cardan ring, to which fixtures the respective ends of the steel blade are rigidly clamped., In such an arrangement, e;V g..in a 'gym-compass, the rotor case is freelto move bodily in relation to the KCardan ring during swing of the compass in its gimbals or during handling and 'such movement tends Yto upsetA the balance of the compass about the `axis of support of the Cardan ring and thus give rise to excessive frictional torques causing errors of the compass. Moreover the blades are subjected to strains tendingto distort them or to fatigue the metal of which they are made, thus finally leading to breakage. l

An object of the invention is inter alia to over-A -come thisdefect in such an arrangement, and

with this end in view' theinvention consists -in a bearing for a memberhaving limited freedom for 'rotational movement in relation to its support,

comprising flexural elastic means extending between the support and the supportedv member, and means providing constraint against relative movements other than the desired rotational movements about a prearr'anged axis, between lthe supported member and the support.

Preferably the blades or filaments, and the associated ,means for applying the additional constraint, form two groups spaced apart in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the 4supported member, so that the two groups are equivalent kto two spaced bearings, When the invention is applied to the support of a gyroscope rotor ycasing the blades may be each rigidly clamped at one end lto a fixture on the Cardan ring, and at the other end either clamped directly in a fixture on the rotor'case or make tangential contact with a curved surface onsuch a fixture,

to which it is clamped or secured after extending for some distance round said curved surface.

The Cardan ring, or a supporting structure therefor, is preferably itself universally mounted, e. g. in gimbals, so that even in the absence of the rotor and rotor. case it is either pendulous or at least in neutral equilibrium.[

Theadditional constraints provided are of such a nature as to cause no restriction to the freedom ofthe rotor case to tilt about the desired, axis of rotation in the Cardanv ring;

' The invention further consists in a method of mounting a gyroscope or part. thereof with freedom for rotational movement in relation to its support wherein the gyroscope or part thereof is suspended yby f lexuralelastic means, e; g.

blades, `'and balanced for movement about its natural axis of tilt, as defined herein. I

The invention also consistsin a mounting for a sensitive. element in a gyroscope mounted with freedom to precess about two mutually perpendicular axes comprising flexural elastic means such'as blades whereby the vvsensitive element is supported. f

'I 'heinvention will be clearly understood from the following description of two forms (given, however, merely by way of example) which it may assume, and this description will be more readily followed by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of a directional gyroscopeof the type vdescribed inV copending U. S. application Ser. No. 235,546 filed October 18, 1938, for Gyroscopes, William G. Harding and Robert H.Nisbet, inventors, employing one embodiment` of the present invention;

Figures `2 and 3 vare front land side sectional views respectively, showing-details of the applica-V tion of the embodiment of theinvention used in Figure 1;

" Figure 4 shows diagrammatically a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention; l

Figure ishows a detail of the embodiment shown in Figure 4.

` In'carrying the invention into effect in one convenient manner as shownin Figures 1, 2 and 3, the rotor case I is carried in the Cardan or vertical ring 2 by means of bearings at 3, allowing the rotor case I to tilt about an axis AA.

The Cardan ringv 2 is supported at 4 for rotation about a vertical axis BB within a follow-up support or phantom element" 5. rI his phantom elemen is carried in bearings for rotation about the. axis BB inthe main frame 6, the latter being universally supported in gimbals (not shown).

As seen in Figs. 2 and 3, each of the bearings I comprises a steel blade 'l` of rectangular shape, xed at its upper end to the block 8. which forms the head o1'A a bolt I" secured in the vtions of tilt and displacement.

Cardan ring 2. The lower end of blade l is fixed to a similar block 9 on bolt 9", securedl to a projection or trunnion I0, IIJ on the rotor case I.

The blade 1 is fixed tovthe boltheads 8, B, by clamps 8', 9', which are riveted to the boltheads 8, 9, by rivets 30, 30 passing through the blade. As statedrabove, further constraints are provided to limit bodily movement of the rotor case I relatively to the Cardan ring 2'. To arrange for this without restricting in any w'ay the freedom'of'the rotor case to tiltabout its axis of rotation AA in the Cardan ring, and yet keep the rotor-case balanced about the-axis AA, constitutes a problem which is not easy to solve because the axis of rotation is itself indeterminate. The rotor case I is free to tilt and also to move bodily relatively to the Cardan ring 2.

during the balancing process; if not, it may bc advantageous to alter the location on the supported body of the points of attachment of the spring blade, and to re-lbalance.

In a practical form of the bearing developed for a rotor and case of a gyroscope weighing 80 lbs.it has been found that a spring blade of temembodiment not to be between the two blocks at all but in the lower fixing block a few thousandths of an inch below its upper surface. This does not necessarily means that the axis is below Any particular combination of rotation and displacement isl equivalent to pure rotation about an axis the position of which varies with the relative propor- Since any horizontal line parallel to the plane of the spring blades may be an axis of rotation in certain circumstances `it might appear that the axis could be arbitrarily chosen and definedgby the additional constraints Vimposed and that the rotor .case should be subsequently balanced about the axis sodetermined. However, in such an arrangement the additional constraints 'would in general have to provide forces of considerable magnitude'and would therefore be liable to introduce friction or other disturbing effects. It is preferred therefore to select a definite axis by a process which determines this axis independently of the constraints, and to arrange that the constraints permitV perfect freedom of movement aboutthe vaxis so determined.

For this purpose all additional constraints are removed so that the rotor case is vsuspended solely on the two vertically hangingspring blades, and

the rotor case is balanced by trial and error to satisfy the following requirements:

(l) Test for-balance: there must be no tendency for the rotor case to turn in a particular direction about a horizontal axis parallel to the plane of the spring blades.

(2)- Test for top-heaviness: if the rotor case is defiected from its normal position by a few degrees and released there must be. noY

Y When the supported body has been balanced in thisway, a tilt obtained in the manner described in test 3 is a tiltproduced under the action of a pure torque without transverse forces and in a state of perfect balance of the supported body about' the axis yof this tilt. This axis Vmay be designated the natural axisof tilt of thev supported body on the spring blade support. By careful observation and measurement it is possible to determine accurately the position of the axis aboutwhich such natural tilting takes place. If this axis passes near the original centre of gravity only small weights will have been added the Veffective point of attachment of the spring to the block, since there is probably some elastic deformation of the bolthead 9 and the clamp 9', 'as-a result of which the spring blade may be regarded as'rigidly clamped only at some distance below the upper surface of the-block.

Having determined the natural axis of the suspension'in this way .constraints are applied which permit rotation about this axis but no other movement.

In the embodiment of the invention being described these constraints comprise ball bearings. Two pivots or trunions II are attached to the rotor case I accurately in line with the previously determined natural axis of the system, and a standard ball race I2 is mounted on each of these pivots. Each race I2 is confined in av'vertical slot I3 in the supporting body 2, which slot acts as a slide bed permitting the ball race I2 to float ina vertical direction as the spring blades 1 shorten during bending. The slotted support prevents any motion in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the natural axis.

As a; measure of safety a shaft I II is provided in the Cardan ring 2, iitted with an eccentric I4' so that on suitable rotary adjustment of shaft I4 the eccentric I4 can be engaged with the bearings I2 to relieve the spring blades I ofthe weight of the rotor 'and rotor case.

It is found that a ball bearing mounted invthis way so that it does not carry the weight of the supported body is very free from friction. Thus 'freedom of motion in the bearings.

f in the gyroscope illustrated in Figure 1 in which the rotor and rotor case weigh approximately lbs. a torque of 1/100 pz.ins. definitely overcomes static friction. This means that the static frictional force tangential to the pivot is less than lnuoo of the weight of the rotor.

The pivot pins are preferably adjustable so that they can be brought absolutely into line with the natural axis of the system. It has been found, however, that when the axis of the pivots has been brought as closely as possible into coincidence with the natural axis by extremely accurate'manufacture, the very slight residual errors which may remain can be rendered negligible by balancing the instrument in its completed bearings in such manner'as to obtain the greatest The balance may then be very slightly different from that obtained on the spring blade alone without constraints, but the difference is so small as not to be detrimental to the operation of the instrument.

In the embodiment'of the invention shown in Figures 4 and 5, the rotor case I5 is suspended by the steel blades IB, I6'. The blades I6; I6 are fixed at their upper ends to supports I'I, I'I, forming part of the frameworks 2|, which are fixed and are connected on the vertical Cardan ring (not shown), while the springs are conl at a constant height. a

,natural axis of tilt of said sensitive member.

nected at their lower ends to shafts I8, I8' which aresolid with shafts I9, I-9 respectively.: The coaxial shafts I9, I9' are yfixed to Vtherotor case IV and theircommon axis is the horizontal axis about which the rotor case tilts during the nor,- mally small precessionaltiltsl'of the gyroscope. Theshafts IB, I8 project eczcentrically4 fromthe ends of the shafts I9, I9 and are of cylindrical form, having their axes; parallelto and in horizontally staggered,relationship'with kthe axis of the shafts I9, I9', i. e. the axisof tilt of the rotor case. These shafts I8, I8"are arranged so that the Vaxis of tilt lies along their surfaces as clearly seen from Figure 5. When the'rotor case I5 tilts. one of the shafts I8, I8 winds itself toa greater extent in its respective blade, while the other of these two shafts unwinds itself from the other blade to an equal extent, so that the centre of gravity of the rotor and rotor case is maintained 'In this embodiment the' constraintsfor preventing movement of thefrotor case other than tilt comprise stretched horizontal wires or blades interconnecting the supported and supporting bodies. Such constraint wires are shown at a, 20h, 20'a, 20'b, -each wire being attached at one end to the supporting framework 2| and secured at it's other end to one of the crank-like arms 22,

Y 22', which are rigidly attached to the shafts I8 and I8 respectively.

`The U-shaped members shown at 23, 23',

which, are normally out *ofy contact with the shafts I9, I9', are provided as safety devices in case of fracture of the blades I6, I6.

It should be understood .that the invention is not restricted solely to details of the forms described above since various modications may be introduced as they become desirable in order .to carry the invention intoeffect under different conditions and requirements whichv have to be fulfilled, without departing `from the scope of the inventionV 1 What we claim is:

1. In a substantially horizontal trunnion bearing for sensitive members, a 'supporting member, a sensitive member, atrunnion on one of said members, a normally vertical leaf spring extending between the other member and the trunnion for suspending the weight of the sensitive member but permitting limited pivotal movement thereof about a predetermined. horizontal axis, ,g

and separate means for preventing translatory movement of said trunnion with respect to said other member without opposingits pivotal movement.

2. In a horizontal bearing for sensitive members, a supporting member, a sensitive member, normally vertical leaf springs between said members on opposite sides thereof to suspend the weight of the sensitive member from the supporting member but permitting limited tilt thereof, and additionalmeans for preventing relative lateral movement of said members without interfering with the natural horizontal position of the 3. InV a horizontal bearing for sensitive members, a supporting member, a sensitive member,

normally vertical leaf springs between said members on opposite sides thereof to suspend the weight of the sensitive member from the supporting member but permitting limited tilt thereof about a predetermined axis of tilt, said leaf springs being clamped to the sensitive member along a line coinciding substantially with said axis of tilt, and additional means for preventing 76 lateral movement of said axis of tilt relative n rof about a predetermined axis of tilt, and horizontal wires stretched betweenY the, supporting member and the sensitive'member at right angles to the axis of tilt for preventing lateral movement of said axis of'tilt relative to said supporting member.

'5. In a horizontal bearing for sensitive members, a supporting member, Va sensitive member, normally vertical leaf springs between said`i'members on opposite sides thereof to suspend the weight of the sensitive member from the supporting member but permitting limited tilt thereof about a predetermined axis of tilt, said leaf springs being wrapped around curved portions of said sensitive member `and attached thereto, so that the lines of contact of said leaf springs with said sensitive member coincide with said axis of tilt, and additional means for preventing lateral movement of said axis of tilt relative to said supporting member.

6. In a horizontal bearing for sensitive members, a supporting member, a sensitive member, normally vertical leaf springs between said members'V on opposite sides thereof to suspend the weight of the sensitive member from the supportabout a predetermined axis of tilt, said leaf 'springs being wrapped around curved portions of said sensitive member and attached thereto. so that the lines of contact of said leaf springs with said sensitive member coincide with said axis of tilt, one leaf spring being wrapped clockwise around the sensitive member and another leaf spring beingwrapped counter-clockwise around the "sensitive member, so that a tilt of the sensitive member will not change the position of its center `of mass, and additional means for preventing lateral movement of said axis of tilt relative to salti supporting member.

7. In a horizontal bearing for sensitive members, a supporting member,` a sensitive member,

normally vertical leaf springs between said memr bers on opposite sides. thereof to suspend the weight of the sensitive member from the supporting member but permitting limited tilt thereof, and additionalanti-friction bearings between said members, which are ineffective only against up and down relative movement.

nion for suspending the weight of the sensitive member but permitting limited tilt thereof, a ball bearing for said trunnion, and means for slidably supporting said bearing permitting up and down movement only.

9. In a substantially horizontal trunnion bearing for sensitive members, a supporting member, a sensitive member, a trunnion on one of said tending between the other member and the trunnion for suspending the weight of the sensitive member but permitting limited tilt thereof, eccentric portions on said trunnion, and oppositely tending betwen the other member and the trun- Y members, a normally vertical leaf spring ex.

extending horizontal wires extending between each portion and the support for preventing lateral movementof the trunnion. Y

10. In a substantially horizontal trunnion bearing for sensitive members, a supporting member, a sensitive member, a trunnion on one of said members, a normally vertical leaf spring extending between the other member and the trunnion forsuspending the weight of the sensitive member but permitting limited pivotal movement thereof about a predetermined horizontal axis, and a floating vguide bearing for said Vtrunnion for preventing translating movement thereof with respect to said other member Without opfA posing its pivotal movement or supporting its weight.

HUGH MURTAGH.

WILLIAM GEORGE HARDING. 

